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July 2019
ARPA-E Investment in NREL Pays Dividends in Advancing Energy Tech
Modeled on a Department of Defense effort to put emerging technologies into the hands of the military, ARPA-E provides funds to overcome roadblocks that would otherwise prevent promising energy ideas from reaching the public.
June 2019
NREL Supports Popular Kinetic Sculpture Camp, STEM Education
This summer, NREL supported a local camp that explores the intersection of art and science, giving campers the opportunity to make connections between creativity and future career paths.
NREL Announces Finalists in Round 1 of American-Made Solar Prize
The range of innovations represented by the competitors include cell and device-related concepts as well as module and application hardware.
'Nothing' technology creates less expensive thin-film solar cells
Solar cells made from elements in the third and fifth columns of the periodic table have been shown to be highly efficient at converting sunlight into energy, but their high costs pose a drawback and limited their use to niche applications.
May 2019
$3M Solar Prize Round 2 Plans to Drive Innovation in U.S. Solar Manufacturing
The Solar Prize program supports entrepreneurs as they develop transformative technology ideas into concepts and then into early-stage prototypes ready for industry testing.
NREL's Matthew Beard Honored by Royal Society of Chemistry
The society singled Beard out specifically for his "outstanding contributions to controlling ultra-fast carrier dynamics in nanostructures and perovskite semiconductors."
April 2019
Your Renewable Energy Technology is Growing Old--What's Next?
While hundreds of millions of tons of trash continue to be dumped into American landfills annually, a growing percentage has been diverted to recycling centers since the first Earth Day in 1970. But these centers aren't set up for renewable energy technologies.
Perovskite Breakthrough Shows Importance of Added Chemical Compound in Boosting Efficiency
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory report making a significant breakthrough by producing a tandem perovskite solar cell that pushes the technology closer to its maximum efficiency.
How NREL Pushed the Limits of Accuracy in PV Performance Measurements
NREL's cell and module performance recently developed a new procedure for measuring the power of commercial crystalline-silicon photovoltaic modules that reduces the uncertainty in module maximum power.
Beneath Solar Panels, the Seeds of Opportunity Sprout
Low-impact development of solar installations can shelter vegetation and boost energy production, creating a win-win-win for food, water, and renewable energy.
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Last Updated May 5, 2025